


oh darling, but i'm here now

by lloydshoulddyehishair



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Emotional Hurt, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hatred, Kidnapping, Love/Hate Relationship, Near Death, Physical Abuse, Soft Master (Doctor Who), Telepathic Bond, Telepathy, Torture, Trust Issues, almost-regeneration, but without the doctor being in jail part, he really angry tho, post s12 finale, the fam doesn't know what to do, they just wanna protect the doc at all costs, thoschei!rights!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:52:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23162788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lloydshoulddyehishair/pseuds/lloydshoulddyehishair
Summary: Her friends, her fam, would hate her for this.She wouldn't have done this if she had thought this through.But in all honesty thinking was quite hard when having a dagger inside your stomach.Contact.
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor & Yasmin Khan & Graham O'Brien & Ryan Sinclair, Thirteenth Doctor/The Master (Dhawan)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 164





	1. red

“Leave her alone, you monsters!”, Yaz' voice was barely audible in her ears. Muffled by the pain she was in caused by hits and kicks that were still coming at her body.

“Let her go!”, Ryan seemed to be even further away and Graham was actually so far away that she couldn't even understand what he was saying.

She opened her eyes to look for her friends who were being held down by the purple skinned, three eyed lifeforms. The Azreedi.

_Have to keep them safe. Got a duty of care. Have to keep them safe. Got a duty of care. Have to keep them-_

Another kick against her body, even harder than the ones before and this time aimed at the back of her head.

And she really didn't want to, knew that it would make her friends worry even more than they already did but all of this was just too much. Her mind was getting clouded by the agony going through her body making it shake as if she was out in the snow in shorts and a t-shirt. Whether her body was shaking because of the pain or the fear of what they would do to her or her friends – she didn't know. She didn't know anything. And despite her really, really, really not wanting to

she screamed.

Screamed in agony, screamed in frustration, screamed in fear.

She regretted it immediately. Her scream just seemed like fuel to their anger, making each of their kicks even stronger.

Feeling her eyes roll back she was so tempted to give in so ready to just drift off into the darkness of her own mind, letting her float in unconsciousness but then she remembered, something important, something ground shaking – her fam.

She had to get them out of here, this wasn't their fault. They weren't the ones whose species had destroyed the Azreedi's planet, they were completely innocent in all of this.

She had to get them out of here even if she was at the verge of death.

“Stop this! She isn't at fault! She didn't destroy your freaking planet! Let her go!”, Graham's cries made a small smile appear on the Doctor's lips immediately disappearing as she was picked up off the ground by her collar. The leader of the Azreedi holding her up, staring right into her painfilled eyes.

“She maybe didn't”, his deep almost techno sounding voice growled turning his face and attention to Graham. “But her kind did and now she will have to pay for it.”

There was an error in his voice, something she had missed, dangerous, great and frightening. She didn't know what it was until she felt a burning pain in her abdomen, tears began to fill her eyes as she looked down seeing the dagger that was buried inside of her but there was no time to do anything about it, no time to call out for her friends telling them she was fine even if she wasn't like how she usually would, no time to get the dagger out of her stomach that had probably created a nasty wound and also no time to soften her fall to the ground when the Azreedi's leader dropped her to the muddy floor where she had just laid mere seconds ago.

“Retreat.”, she heard him say, but his voice was growing smaller inside the darkness that began to cloud her mind. “We are done here. Let the humans go.”

She heard steps growing silent and people running towards her. Heard something heavy – or someone - drop to the floor next to her, picking up one of her wrists probably looking for a pulse.

She tried to focus. Focus on the voice calling her name. Whose voice she didn't know but she knew she had to focus. Had to stay alive. Hell why wasn't she regenerating yet?

And darkness began to take over completely.

_That's it, I'm going to die. Over 4000 years traveling through time and space and this is how I go._

She almost wanted to laugh. Not that sweet and happy kind of laugh, no. A bitter and broken one. One she had heard so often by one of her dearest friends. A friend she couldn't think the name of but one she knew was the most important to her out of all the people she had ever known and all the people she ever could have met.

A friendship like no other going on for thousands of years. Running through the fields on their home planet as children, hiding in alleyways when skipping classes at the Academy, playing cat and mouse with him for thousands of years all because he wanted her attention.

A love that couldn't be broken but oh there was hatred mixed in. Making it almost seem bitter sweet and toxic.

And how her friends, her fam, would hate her for this – how she would hate herself for this later on.

She wouldn't have done this if she had thought this through.

But in all honesty thinking was quite hard when having a dagger inside your abdomen.

  
  


_Contact._

  
  


Silence.

Nothing but absolute silence.

The Doctor was growing desperate, knew she didn't have much time. One of her heart's had already stopped and god knows how long she would be able to survive with just one still intact. Probably not too long.

_Contact._

She waited, already ready to give in to death and just letting go but then

_**Contact.** _

She heard his voice inside her mind, answering her calls.

And without any words, without a 'hello' or a 'how are you?' she send him her location and let him feel the pain she was in for just a mere second for him to realize that this wasn't a joke.

She needed him and she was so scared of dying without at least saying goodbye to him. Dying itself wasn't the problem, she had lived long enough, had saved so many lives, loved so many and lost so much. But she just didn't want to go without a proper farewell to her oldest friend and best enemy.

* * *

_Please, Koschei._

These words were enough to make him want to cry and the Master really wasn't a man of tears.

_**Doctor, I'm on my way.** _

He tried to reach out to her over their telepathic link again but there was nothing but emptiness.

_**Doctor? Can you hear me?** _

And he screamed, kicked against the console of his TARDIS because if he was too late, if she was gone and couldn't save her he might destroy a whole planet. **Again**.

In what felt like months or even years but probably just were mere seconds in reality he heard the sounds of the TARDIS' engine stop meaning he was at his destination, the one she had sent him, and he ran like he never ran before, leaving his TARDIS and looking around the area trying to find her and then he saw.

Her pets, how he liked to refer to them, sitting on the ground next to somethi- no. Someone.

**The Master saw red.**

  
  



	2. you can't

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh shits about to go down

_In what felt like months or even years but probably just were mere seconds in reality he heard the sounds of the TARDIS' engine stop meaning he was at his destination, the one she had sent him, and he ran like he never ran before, leaving his TARDIS and looking around the area trying to find her and then he saw._

_Her pets, how he liked to refer to them, sitting on the ground next to somethi- no. Someone._

  
  


** _The Master saw red._ **

* * *

His hands started to tremble, realization of what was happening right in front of his eyes hitting him.

Barely noticing his sudden movement he pushed Yaz of the way but he didn't feel like  _he_ was the one doing it. It felt like his body was being controlled by something else, acting on it's own.

He dropped to the floor next to her unmoving body, cupping her face in his hands and tried to reach out for her over their telepathic bond.

** _Come on, Doctor._ **

He ran through the white halls of her mind, being greeted by nothing but emptiness. Fear began to take him over. Fear of having lost her.

** _Don't do this to me. You can't. You can't leave me alone, not now. Not after all we've been through. Not after all we've seen._ **

He ran and ran. Ran like the Doctor always wanted him to run with her. Oh he remembered those times.

Back then when they were children and promised each other to see the stars together. Or even after all his betrayals how his Doctor had always begged him to come with her. To run with her and to stop evil, save lives, finally see the stars with her after all those years.

He regretted not agreeing and going with her now. He could have kept her save, could have prevented all of this.

_No you couldn't have._

The Master turned around faster than ever seeing her standing calmly surrounded by the brightening white halls just like he was.

Her blonde hair and clothes not drenched in blood like how they were in reality and she seemed completely fine, just like the last time he saw her. But her face wore a sad smile and he knew what this meant.

** _You can't die._ **

_We all have to at some point._

** _But not you! Not us! Come on just regenerate, please, for me._ **

_I can't. I tried but I can't and I don't know why. But I didn't call you to save me._

And for the second time today the Master felt the tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. Was it sadness? Anger? Frustration? Whatever it was the Master felt helpless.

** _Then why the hell would you call me in the first place?!_ **

So he let anger take the best of him, just like he always did when he felt out of control.

** _Why would you make me watch all of this?! Why would you call me if you knew I can't get you out of this?! Is this some sick way of getting your revenge on me?!_ **

_You know me better than that._

** _Well maybe I don't._ **

The sad smile disappeared off of the Doctor's face replaced by a look of hurt, he tried to ignore it but even he knew he went to far.

_Listen, I don't have a lot of time so ple-_

She screamed tumbling to the floor, the Master catching her right before she could have hit the ground.

She was feeling pain inside of her mind palace. That meant- That could only mean-

_I'm dying._

She managed to choke out, her breaths becoming quicker and her body running cold.

** _Please don't do this to me._ **

He just let his tears fall, not caring any more. He didn't care about anything except for her, except for keeping her alive, keeping her with him.

She took his hand, slightly squeezing it with the last bit of strength she had. And he couldn't take his eyes off her.

** _I'm scared._ **

_I know._

Her voice nothing but a whisper but the reassuring smile she gave him made his hearts skip a beat.

_But this is how it's supposed to be. I'm too old to just keep on going. I lost so much and so did you._

Her free hand shakily made it's way up to his cheek.

He wanted to scream.

** _I don't... I don't know how to live without you._ **

_You will. But you will have to let me go._

The Master couldn't help but stroke her hair in a comforting manner as her whole body began to cramp making her let out a pained moan.

_Please... please bring my Fam home safe. Can you do that for me?_

The Master nodded, barely realizing what was happening and stunned that even though she laid here dying in his arms she was still just thinking about others.

Never thinking or caring about herself.

_And don't let this-_

She let out a shaky breath and he noticed a tear running down her cheek.

The Master was sure he just heard one of his hearts broke.

This was his dearest, oldest and the only friend he ever had and she was dying in his arms. 

_**'Just tell her.'** _ he thought to himself, not letting the Doctor in on his thoughts.  _' **Don't be a coward.'**_

_Don't let this destroy you._

Her voice brought him right back to her. Not being able to do anything but stare at her.

The blonde let out a weak but soft chuckle.

_Who would have guessed I'd ever make you speechless, Master._

** _You always do._ **

The Doctor was sure that if she wasn't about to die she would have blushed at this admission. The Master normally wasn't very keen on letting people in on his emotions except if it was the Doctor he was talking to – even when they were 'enemies'. It always made her feel like they were back on Gallifrey without a single worry.

** _Theta..._ **

Saying this name tasted bittersweet on his tongue. It made him feel so many good things, made him remember so many beautiful memories of him and her but it also made him remember all the pain, all the loss and all the heartbreak they went through. Made him remember how much he loved her but how he wasn't supposed to.

_**I'm sorry. If I had been faster maybe I could have prevented all of this. Then you wouldn't be here... dying. You could still travel. We could still travel together and see so many beautiful things... I am so so sorry.** _

He closed his eyes, wanted to scream at the universe for taking her from him.

All the times their played their little games, all the times they tried to kill each other but then were right by each others side when one of them needed each other. Was it worth it now? If he knew he'd lose her like this would he have acted differently.

_I love you, Koschei. I really do._

The Master found himself floating, the grip he had on Theta loosening and before he knew what was going on he was thrown out of the mind palace and was back on the burning planet still kneeling next to her in dirt and blood covered body.

“Oh no, you don't...”, The Master muttered under his breath placing his hands on the doctors face and trying to reach out for her but the white halls had disappeared and so did everything else.

“You can't do this to me. Not after all those thousands of years. You can't, you can't, you can't.”, the brunette held onto her coat crumpling it in his fists, his face slowly looking down at his hands but it also felt like he wasn't looking at anything at all.

He felt numb.

“You can't, you can't, you can't.”, he looked up at the sky, feeling rain dropping onto his face.

He screamed at the top of his lungs making the Doctor friends flinch in shock. They would have never expected such an emotional outburst from him, especially over the Doctor's death, they would have expected him to be happy, laughing maybe even throwing a party afterwards. But definitely not this.

“YOU CAN'T”

Letting his head fall on her chest he began to cry hysterically like back then when he was a kid and the drums inside of his head were so loud that he felt like he was going to die.

“You can't go and die and leave me here alone...”, the tears falling were unstoppable, not even the fact that the Doctors pet's were there changed that.

Anger started to form inside of him and he did his best to push it away because she wouldn't want him to act on anger. His anger had brought them this mess.

“No.”, he muttered.

“Excuse me?”, the old man of the three pets walked forward, carefully. “Is she...”, the pain he felt was clear it was written all over his face. “Is she dead?”

The Master swore he heard someone curse and fall to the floor, probably Yaz and he honestly wanted to rip the old man's head off for this stupid question.

The Timelord didn't look up. Breathing in deeply for a few seconds before letting out a shaky breath.

“No.”, he paused looking at the unmoving body of his friends, cupping her cheek. “I won't let her.”

Before Graham could reply to the cryptic words of the Master he had already jumped up from his kneeling position.

“Get me a knife.”


End file.
